Aeroplane



L. WURTH AEROPLANE Filed July 19, 1932 July 9, 1935.

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AEROPIJANE Filed July 19, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m n We auis WiI/I'ih M 44% Patented July 9, 1935 PATENT OFFICE AEROPLANE Louis Wurth, Miami, Fla., assignor to Jennie 0. Walter, Miami, Fla.

Application July 19, 1932, Serial No. 623,407

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes and particularly to means for increasing the efficiency of operation and the ease of maneuvering a plane.

The primary object is to provide a device of this character which will allow higher cruising and lower starting and landing speeds, with a respectively higher safety factor,

Another object is to provide an auxiliary adjustable propeller and an auxiliary adjustable wing construction that can be embodied with aeroplanes as now designed and constructed.

Still another object is to so construct and mount the parts that my invention can be added or applied to any aeroplane, without great trouble or expense in the installation and without material alterations in the standard construction of the machine.

Yet another object is to provide means to reduce the ground running distance for take-off and landing, thus permitting maneuvering and operation of the plane in restricted spaces.

With the above and other objects in view, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, my invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter set forth in connection with the drawings and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating an aeroplane embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plane view.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view to better show the mounting and control parts.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view to better illustrate the auxiliary plane controlling means.

In the present instance I have illustrated my invention as applied to and used in connection with a monoplane of the single engine type'with tractor propeller mounting; but, it is to be understood that the invention can be equally well adapted for use with biplanes, triplanes, or in fact substantially all types of aeroplanes, either land or amphibian, and with any number of power units.

As here shown, the aeroplane has the fuselage I of usual. construction, provided with a landing gear to forward and a tail skid 3 at the rear. The monoplane wings .4 are set low down upon the fuselage and an operator and control cabin 5 is provided in front of the wing structure; While a radial type engine 6 is illustrated to drive the traction propeller 1, any other type and form of power unit and other manners of mounting the propeller might be employed.

The wings 4 are shown as provided with the usual ailerons 8, and the horizontal stabilizers 9, the elevator I0 and the rudder II can be of any desired construction. To all intents and purposes,

the main parts of the aeroplane, as above described, are of usual and standard construction, and these parts may be of any desired or approved type. i

In the middle of the plane wing structure 4 a bearing shaft I2 is provided, this shaft being securely mounted in suitable hearings or brackets to extend parallel with the leading and trailing edges of the plane wing 4 and being preferably located substantially at the center of the wing. Segment brace frames 13 are provided in rigid mounting upon the wing structure 4 adjacent the ends ofshaft I2, and a mounting frame structure I 4 is mounted on shaft I2 for swinging movement forward and back above the wing structure 4 and. between the segment members I3.

An engine It, or other suitable power unit, is mounted at the outer end of the mounting frame structure with the propeller shaft I6 substantially horizontally disposed when the mounting frame structure is adjusted to the upright relation, as shown in Figure 1. An auxiliary propeller I! is mounted on the propeller shaft l6 and the mounting frame structure is extended to such height that the propeller I6 will have sufficient space to work above and clear any upper structure of the main aeroplane construction.

At the rear end of the mounting frame structure I4, and substantially in line with the propeller shaft IS, a wing mounting shaft I8 is provided, and an auxiliary wing I9 is mounted upon this shaft It, with its leading edge thus substantially in line with the axis of rotation of the propeller shaft I6 and its trailing edge free for swinging movement up and down with respect to the axis of rotation of. the propeller shaft I6.

An operator's seat 20 is provided within the cockpit or cabin space of the aeroplane, and the usual controls can be provided for themain portions of the aeroplane structure. The mounting frame structure has a segmental rack 2i formed on a radius about the shaft I2, and an operating shaft 22 is mounted in suitable bearings 23 and 24 in such relation that a worm 25 thereon will mesh with the teeth of the segmental worm rack 2|. A hand wheel 26 is mounted to be conveniently accessible from the operators seat 20, and through miter gears 21 the shaft 24, and consequently the worm 25, will be rotated as hand wheel 26 is turned by the operator.

With the above construction, as hand wheel 26 is manipulated to rotate shaft 22, the mounting frame structure I4 can be swung forward or back, or rocked around the shaft I 2, substantially as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and when this is done the axis of rotation of the auxiliary propeller I'l will be shifted at an angle above or below a horizontal line, according to the adjustment. At the same time, the auxiliary plane wing i9 will be swung with the mounting frame structure.

In order to establish a relationship between the position of the auxiliary plane wing I9 and the mounting frame structure 14, I provide brace members 28 connected at their inner ends substantially at shaft l2 and having their outer ends flared upwardly and outwardly to a center line longitudinally on the inner side of the auxiliary plane wing l9. The outer ends of the brace members 28 are fitted in longitudinal slots 29 in the auxiliary plane wing it, or are otherwise extensibly connected with the auxiliary plane wing so that this wing is can be moved relative to the mounting frame structure ll around a pivotal bearing on shaft l8. At the same time, the brace members 28 are intended and adapted to brace and give stability and a certain degree of rigidity to the mounting of the auxiliary plane wing IS in any of its adjustable settings.

As stated, it is desirable that the auxiliary plane wing 19 be adjustable to diiferent positions with relation to the mounting frame structure ll, one of which is illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and any suitable means might be provided to accomplish this end. In Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated one form of means that might be employed. A cable 30 connected with the auxiliary plane wing !9 at a point in the rear of the pivotal mounting I8 is carried around a cable drum 3| on a shaft mounted in suitable bearings 32 adjacent to the operators seat 20, and a hand wheel 33 is provided to manipulate this cable drum 3|, a ratchet pawl 34 being provided to control movement of the cable drum.

With the parts and controls constructed and assembled in this manner, the mounting frame structure I 4 can be adjusted by manipulation of hand wheel 26, and without touching hand wheel 33 and on the other hand, the hand wheel 33 may be manipulated to vary the position and angular extension of the auxiliary plane wing is, without changing the line of extent of the propeller axis.

With this construction the axis of the propeller shaft can be adjusted to give great lifting power, or to meet any peculiar conditions of operation, either while the plane is on the ground or while in flight; and, the auxiliary plane wing I can be simultaneously or independently adjusted to any desired degree of inclination. With the auxiliary wing adjusted the space between the main wing 4 and the trailing edge of the auxiliary wing will be considerably lessened and in consequence a pocket will be formed to alter the usual conditions of operation of the aeroplane. This auxiliary wing structm'e might be manipulated to incline sharp y downwardly and thus act as a brake to retard forward movement of the aeroplane in the take-off and in landing, to thus materially lessen the ground running and the skimming distances as now ordinarily required.

In the drawings I have illustrated the auxiliary wing as mounted above the main wing of the plane, by means of a supporting structure mounted directly upon the plane wing; however, this mounting might be made in substantially the same manner with the auxiliary wing below the main plane wing, in which; event the supporting structure for the auxiliary wing may be mounted upon the fuselage -or can be inverted to depend from the main plane wing. Also, the

auxiliary propeller may be mounted for the forward or leading edge of the main plane wing to be adjusted independently thereof, and the auxiliary wing can be mounted at the trailing edge of the main plane wing, to also be independently While I have herein shown and described only certain specific embodiments of my invention and have suggested only certain possible modifications and changes, it will be appreciated that many other variations can be made in the form, construction, arrangement, mounting and assembly of the parts, and in the construction and the manner of operating the control means, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. With an aeroplane, a mounting frame structure mounted to extend upwardly from the wing of the aeroplane and adjustably mounted for swinging movement forward and back, a power means carried by said mounting frame, a propeller associated with the power means, an auxiliary plane wing adjustably carried by the mounting frame, manual means to adjust the position of said mounting frame structure and consequently the working angle of the auxiliary propeller and the auxiliary wing, and means to adjust the settings of the auxiliary plane wing with respect to the mounting frame. a

2.- With an aeroplane, a mounting frame structure mounted to extend upwardly from the wing of the aeroplane and adjustably mounted for swinging movement forward and back, a power means carried by said mounting frame, a propeller associated with the power means, an auxil .iary plane wing carried by the mounting frame,

manual means to adjust the position of said mounting frame structure and consequently the working angle of theauxiliary propeller and the auxiliary wing, said auxiliary plane wing being pivotally mounted adjacent its leading edge for independent swinging adjustment, and manual means to adjust the auxiliary plane wing with respect to the mounting frame structure.

3. With an aeroplane, a propeller bodily movable with respect to the normal wing structure of the aeroplane, an auxiliary plane wing movable with the propeller and swingably mounted in the rear of said propeller for swinging adjustment independently of the propeller, means to move the propeller and auxiliary wing as a unit, and means to independently swing said auxiliary plane wins.

4. With an aeroplane, a supporting frame swingably carried thereby, a power unit associated with said supporting means and consequently bodily adjustable with respect to the aeroplane structure, a propeller operated by said power unit and movable therewith, an auxiliary plane wing swingably mounted on said supporting means in the rear of the propeller, means to move said power unit and propeller and the auxiliary plane wing as a unit, and means to swing said auxiliary plane wing to accomplish independent angular adjustment thereof.

LOUIS WORTH. 

